UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: The Islamic Republic Must Completely Repeal the 'Hijab Law'

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on Monday, March 4, called for the complete and permanent repeal of the 'Hijab Law' in Iran during a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The High Commissioner noted the temporary suspension of the 'so-called Hijab and Chastity Law' and stated that this law, which is 'temporarily suspended,' must be fully eliminated along with other discriminatory laws and practices against women and girls. Turk, who dedicated part of his speech to the status of women's human rights in Iran on the occasion of International Women's Day, also urged Iranian authorities to release all human rights defenders from prison and to end arbitrary detentions and the imprisonment of dissenters. The High Commissioner also expressed concern over the significant increase in executions in Iran over the past year, stating, 'Over 900 executions have been reported, which is deeply concerning.' This senior UN official called on Iranian authorities to immediately halt the implementation of death sentences. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently reported that the Islamic Republic executed at least 901 people in 2024. The number of executions in Iran was reported to be at least 853 in 2023. In another part of his speech, this senior UN official described the increase in patriarchal discourses as alarming, stating, 'I am concerned about the resurgence of harmful ideas about patriarchy and efforts to promote gender stereotypes, especially among youth.' He added, 'It is shocking to me that misogynistic influencers have millions of followers on social media and are recognized as heroes in some circles.' Turk warned that these trends, both online and in the real world, have created greater resistance to gender equality and have led to increased violence, hate speech, and threats against women, women's rights defenders, and female politicians. The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic is one of the topics on the agenda of the current Human Rights Council session, which will continue until April 4. The recent report from the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and the final report of the UN fact-finding mission on the nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini will also be discussed in the latter half of this month during the current Human Rights Council session. Political prisoner Saeed Masouri stated: 'The government has thrown a noose around the necks of the people.' The US condemned the 'increasing use of executions by the Iranian regime to suppress the people.' The UN criticized the 'gross violations' of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities during the protests in Iran over the past five years.